Desperation
by ShadeLivesForever
Summary: <html><head></head>Marina learns why Shade doesn't return from the underworld and thinks up a plan to be with him again. R&R.</html>
1. Desperate Times and Measures

**Disclaimer: I don't own the original series or the characters. Story's mine though...**

Chp1

"Umm Griffin," Marina said, "It's wonderful that you made it back, and mysterious that Luna somehow got resurrected, but where's Shade?"

They were at Tree Haven, and Griffin and Luna had just come back from the Underworld. Luna had gone back to her worried parents, while Griffin decided to do the hard task of telling Marina that her mate was dead. As well as that, he already felt troubled since Shade was his father.

"About that," Griffin hesitated for a very long time, "He killed himself to get me out of the underworld alive." He slowly said, worried that Marina was going to tear him into pieces.

"Wait what?" Marina asked, shocked.

Griffin explained to her about how the bats in the underworld that are alive have a glow, which is their life that can be absorbed by a dead bat if they kill the alive one. He then went on to explain how Goth in the underworld killed him and absorbed his life, and how his dad sacrificed himself so that he can absorb his life and come back to the Upper World through The Tree.

By the time he was done they were both crying their hearts out. Marina wailed "Why? Why'd he have to die?" Suddenly she asked quietly, "Wait, what did he do?"

"He went high up in the sky and freefell down with his wings folded. Then he didn't stop himself and…and…he crashed!" His cries escalated to bawls. He added on loudly admitting, "It's all my fault! If I didn't 'bury' myself that would've never happened. Maybe they should kick me out of Tree Haven!"

"No! I don't…want you…gone…as well!" Marina exclaimed with tears in her eyes. She was having trouble breathing properly, with her words coming out in bits.

"Oh yeah, did I mention…" A new flood of tears came from Griffin's eyes. "…That I only saw him…for a day!"

Shade was nothing, literally. He was invisible. He couldn't talk to anyone, and he could pass through anything. He was devastated at the fact that his mate and son didn't know that he was there, that he was with them all along. Everyday, he watched them talk, and flew with them when they were hunting, but he couldn't talk to them himself. He just wished that one day they would somehow know that he was alive and with them.

Ariel heard Marina and Griffin bawling from her roost and flew to them.

"What's going on? The whole colony can hear you two." Ariel asked.

"It's just…that dad's dead, he's not here anymore!" Griffin yelled, still sobbing.

"But how?" Ariel asked. Griffin explained the same things he explained to Marina, with the life sacrifice and all.

After a while, Ariel said, drying out her tears, "You don't know whether he is really dead, he could be in the underworld, or even around us." Ariel tried to brighten up the mood, but it didn't make Griffin or Marina feel any better. Marina was still crying her eyes out, asking to no one in particular "Why, just why?" as though Shade would somehow appear in front of her again at the mention of those words. Ariel, depressed, started to sob again and headed back for her roost. Marina and Griffin stayed and hung their heads low. Halfway there, Ariel decided to go to Cassiel to tell him what happened, but it seemed like he overheard the conversation, because he was saying words no one could make out. At the same time he was hitting his head against the trunk of the tree.

Marina suddenly had an idea, and knew it would make the colony feel even worse, but desperate times called for desperate measures, as usual. She told Griffin, "Sorry Griffin, I can't go on like this!" And took off flying as fast as she would when she was racing against Shade or Griffin. With every wing beat she went higher up into the sky. Griffin slowly flew back to his roost and rested. He thought Marina was going to come back, and she was, but not in a way he would have expected.

Shade knew what she was planning to do and panicked. "MARINA! DON'T!" but suddenly he remembered that no one could hear him, that no one could see him. He quickly took off and followed her.

Marina was blinded by her own tears and couldn't see anything around her, but she didn't care. At last when she was about a hundred metres off the ground, she turned back, and did a freefall, with her wings tightly bound to her body so that she would not bail out at the last second. She crashed onto the hard grassy ground with a surprisingly quiet thud, several metres from the tree she used to live in.

Shade followed, his vision suddenly blurred by his own tears. He went up to Marina and looked at her. She was still alive, but bruised and covered with blood, and in parts a broken bone protruded. Her breathing was slow and shallow. "Why Marina? Why did you have to do that? Didn't you know I was with you…the whole time?" Shade didn't want to think about the fact that she was going to die, but he did anyways. "Why…just why?" Shade asked quietly. He wished that Marina could hear him. He wished that she could see him, even for a minute if that's all.

Slowly, he saw her breathing slow. Painfully, but unable to take his eyes off, he watched her until she was lifeless, without a pulse or breath, but he remembered, and will always remember, the last word she said. She said it quietly and calmly, as though she was actually content with dying. "Shade…"


	2. Meet

Chp2

Cassiel had told the whole colony about what had happened with Shade, and everyone was very upset, but particularly Ariel, Griffin and himself. Chinook was also sad as well, and regretted all those times he had called Shade a runt, because he knew that he was a hero, a selfless hero. He was also his friend, and now this had to happen.

Griffin quickly looked around for Marina, when he bumped into Luna. "Hi," he said quickly, "Have you seen Marina around anywhere? She told me she'd come back."

"Well you can ask Shade…I mean Cassiel or Ariel." She put her head down. "Sorry for that."

"It's alright." Griffin replied, even though he was close to tears again. He flew around until he saw something several metres away from Tree Haven. It seemed to be covered in blood. Griffin went to look and what he found and almost retched, but instead he broke into another flood of tears. There was Marina, who looked just like his father when he smashed himself onto the ground for him. Griffin wasn't prepared to see both of his parents die the same way, and carelessly bawled out, his tears falling onto Marina's lifeless body. He hoped she could somehow come back alive, come back with Shade, so that all of them could be a happy family, with nothing to worry about. He also hoped she wasn't already dead, but she was.

Ariel and Cassiel heard him bawl for a second time and went up to him.

"Griffin, are you still depressed about Shade?" They asked, worried.

"Yes, but look!" Griffin pointed at Marina. "She…she killed herself!"

Ariel frowned and explained, "Maybe Marina did it so she can be with Shade in the Underworld. I guess she thought it would be the best thing to do." Ariel didn't shed a tear; she already shed enough when she was told Shade had died, but still it seemed as though her heart was torn apart by Goth himself. Cassiel was thinking the same.

Shade was still shocked at the fact Marina committed suicide. _Did she think that_ _I was still stuck dead down there?_ Shade thought. He decided to go to the underworld with her, just so they can both go to the tree and resurrect back. Shade flew into Tree Haven and darted into the fissure Griffin accidentally fell into a long time ago, which led into the Underworld. Once he was in he had a body. He wasn't an invisible spirit anymore; he was just a dead bat in "Hell." He quickly went looking for Marina, calling out her name every few seconds. He was desperate to get her out of this place but even more desperate to be with her, since in this world he can actually talk to her. "Marina! Where _are_ you?" He shouted into the oasis.

"How do you know my name?" A bat replied. Shade rushed towards her. The bat was indeed Marina, who appeared as though she didn't even get a scratch; anybody would just assume that she died naturally. Once the bat saw him she instantly knew where she was, and who he was. "Shade, it's so good to see you again! I thought that I would never do so!" She pulled him into a tight hug with her wings. "Don't ever kill yourself again!" She said. Shade hugged her back and they stayed like that for a while, Marina shedding tears of joy. Shade then suddenly replied, with a harsh tone in his voice, "Same to you." Marina tensed up. Just as sudden he calmed back down. "Didn't you know that I was with you the whole time?" He asked, looking her in the eye, "even though you couldn't see or hear me, everyday I was close to you." He added, " I was close to Griffin as well."

"What…I should've known!" Marina face-palmed herself. "It seemed like sometimes you were there. I remember that I had dreams where you said things like 'Hi Marina! It's great to see you!' Then I would wake up hoping that I would be able to see _you_ again, right in front of me."

Shade was silent. He looked upset. Marina noticed and asked, "Shade, what's the matter?" Shade replied, "I'm just sorry for making you do that. I didn't know that you would be that desperate to see me. Besides, this is the land of the dead, which is ruled by—"

"Zotz himself, and we have to get to that tree that Griffin told me about! Oh why didn't I think this through?" She worried.

"It's alright now, we got each other. Let's just go to the tree tomorrow." They were about to take a rest when they suddenly saw Frieda, who was once an elder of their colony. _How lucky, have to thank Nocturna for that_, Shade thought non-sarcastically, since he thought he wouldn't be able to meet her again.

"Hi Shade, hi Marina!" She noticed that they both had no glow and frowned, "You're both…dead."

"Yes, I sacrificed myself for my son, Griffin," Shade couldn't hide a laugh, "and she really missed me so she killed herself!"

"Well I was desperate…" Marina started.

"Yeah, I know how you feel. But anyways," Shade paused, turning to Frieda. "Frieda, do you have a new sound map for the tree?"

"Of course I do! Turns out it's pretty much the same thing as last time! I'll still sing it to both of you though because there _are_ some changes."


	3. Journey

Chp3

It had been a few days since Marina committed suicide, and her parents were still sad; there was barely any talk passed between them and the colony. As well as that, they weren't cheerful when they hunted, and they ate less than the others.

Cassiel went to the cemetery, and dug a hole in a vacant spot, which was going to be Marina's grave, although he tried not to think about it that way. After he was done he, Ariel, and a few other bats carried Marina's body on a large leaf and slowly dropped her into the deep hole. Then Cassiel buried her body, but was nervous because if she actually were somehow still alive then he would've just accidentally killed her. He removed the nonsense thought from his head; the group embedded flowers onto the topsoil and solemnly flew back to Tree Haven.

Once they were home, Griffin sighed, "It feels so boring now without my parents. And I'm still sad about how they're not here."

"Well, I bet they're going to return through the tree like we did, so you don't need to worry." She answered, sure that they were going to come back soon.

Shade felt very bad for Marina while they flew closer and closer to the tree. She didn't know that the landscape changed, and several times went insane and kept on repeatedly telling herself hope was lost, until the next landmark was within sight.

Somewhere along the way to the Greywing cave he asked Marina, "So, you know how I told you I was with you the whole time?"

"Yeah, what about it?" She shrugged, remembering, "I really shouldn't have done that."

He then said slowly, remembering how awful it was to see her dying, "I saw you when you plummeted." Marina already regretted doing a freefall since Shade was already with her the whole time, but now regretted doing that even more because Shade had to go through the pain of watching her suicide. _Didn't he already experience enough pain when he sacrificed himself in the underworld?_ Marina thought.

"So, from whom you get the idea of doing a freefall from?" Shade suddenly added with a slight grin on his face, curious.

"Griffin told me about what you did for him, and let's just say he gave a lot of details." Marina felt uncomfortable admitting that she had got the idea from him.

"Ah, so he did." Shade sighed.

"Can we not talk about that please?" Marina begged.

"OK, I was just wondering who gave you that crazy idea." Shade explained.

They flew on for a while before Shade announced, "There's the cave! Now don't go in it, because it'll get you stuck there forever."

"How?" She wondered, when they both heard a Greywing bat call out to them, "Hey! Join me and the others into Paradise!"

"No Thanks, we'll just go to The Tree." Shade answered.

"How are you so sure that it is so good? It could just be a passage to a Hell of acid and burning flames." The Greywing argued.

"How are you so sure the cave is so good? It can be a trap." Shade retorted.

"I think that we should check it out, it doesn't sound so bad to me." Marina broke in the conversation.

"Yeah! Come join the others and me into Paradise!" The Greywing repeated.

Marina immediately started to fly down to the cave opening, but Shade grabbed her wing and asserted, "Griffin almost got stuck here forever this way, I don't want that to happen to you."

"What do you mean by 'stuck here forever?' You already said that once to me before."

"Let's find someplace to roost. I'll tell you then."

"OK, so tell me, what did you mean? Besides, that bat was really cheery about this." Marina looked at Shade, getting impatient.

"So what happened was, Griffin went down into the cave with Luna, and I caught up with them shortly afterwards."

"So you caught up. What next?"

"I saw Luna, along with a bunch of other bats, all just there with their eyes closed, still. But they were too still. Suddenly one plummeted like a rock into what appeared to be a sea. Then I realized that the bats were actually turning into rock. Griffin saw as well and tried to wake Luna up, but she was already plummeting at that time. So I caught her and somehow they got out. Luckily she didn't become a rock."

"Basically, what you're trying to say is that I'll turn into rock inside there and plummet into a sea?"

"Yes." That one word answer was enough, for Marina said, "OK then, and let's get out of here."

Unlike last time where Shade had to go through the trouble of meeting Goth and almost drowning in the river, this time he was quickly reaching The Tree. They were already close to it; he could see the flames. Marina could see them as well, and shrieked with fear.

"Why's it on fire? Where's the entrance?"

"It's supposed to be like that, so don't worry. We'll be back in the Upper World once we go through a knothole. From here it's too far away to see."

Within a few minutes they were already a few metres from the knothole. There was nearly blinding light coming out of it and nothing else; no shadows were moving around inside. Shade and Marina, without hesitation, flew into the knothole. Inside, they both felt as though they were flying at the speed of sound, or was it even faster than that? The light then became blindingly bright, and they closed their eyes and put their wings in front of them to help cover them.


	4. Goth

Chp4

Suddenly the tunnel became pitch black. There was no light.

"Are we there yet?" Marina asked.

"This isn't what was supposed to happen." Shade replied, "We were supposed to…"

"What?" Marina said, impatient.

Shade bounced echoes off, and saw nothing but darkness. Somehow he was on ground, but one that carried no texture.

There didn't seem to be anyone other than him and Marina, and he asked, "Hey Marina, since no one's here, want to have some…you know. Remember last time, how good it felt and all?"

"Pervert!" Marina yelled.

"Kidding!" Shade laughed.

"Shade and Marina, welcome." a voice said out of nowhere. It sounded awfully familiar.

Shade heavily blushed at the fact that there was someone else when he asked such a bad question, and hoped that whoever it was didn't hear him ask that.

"Who are you? Where are we?" Marina asked, nervous.

"Do you not know?" The voice said again. It seemed to echo all around them.

"Sorry, but how would I know if I can't even see you?" Shade rudely questioned.

Suddenly the voice roared, "You! If it wasn't for you I could have easily done the sacrifices during the eclipse; Zotz would have reigned! Throbb wouldn't be stuck here for eternity as a mining slave! Now stay there so I can rip your heart out!"

Shade and Marina both tensed, knowing whom it was, and Shade quickly swept another set of echoes. There was Goth, darting right at him. Shade remembered how last time he was stuck in a place like this, but it was made up of sound, which suddenly reminded him…

"Marina, get away from him and I'll do the rest!" Shade yelled. He was about to pierce sound through a wall and break an opening through, when he saw Goth veer off to his right.

"That was just a warm-up, next time you'll be clawed to bits. Don't worry Marina, you don't have to cry your heart out after, since I'll rip it out for you." Goth flew upwards for the second time, preparing to dart again.

"Hey wait a minute," Shade blurted out, "If we're dead then why are you wasting your time?"

Goth stopped, but quickly said, "Hah, I wasn't going to tell you this but I can still kill you in the Underworld, and you'd be gone to Hell."

"Wait what?" Marina asked, far away from Goth.

"Everyone here says you live forever, but actually you live for a couple of centuries before dying, that is unless someone or something kills you first. After that you go to a hell of rotten acid, where the worst smelling and acidic liquid you will ever encounter will burn you for eternity. Don't ask me how I know." Goth added on the last part quickly, remembering being inside Cama Zotz's stomach, along with other unfortunate bats. He remembered their and his cries of pain, and felt extremely lucky that Zotz gave him another chance. "Now are you ready to go to Hell?" He said after a moment of silence, and without waiting for a response darted at Shade again. Shade moved out of the way and tried to pierce the wall again, but quickly turned around to see that he was being followed. Shade started to fly around the room, trying to avoid Goth.

Out of nowhere Marina shouted out, "So if there's Hell, then where's Heaven?"

Again Goth stopped. Frustrated, he roared, "There is no such thing! Now stop talking, the two of you, so I can get this over with."

This time he darted at Marina. Only at the last second did she realize that Goth was darting at her, and before she could react she was smashed down onto the ground. Shade quickly saw his mate, helpless, and flew at Goth, who had his mouth open, ready to rip her heart out. He then covered up Goth's ears so that he couldn't use his echovision, before bruising his face by quickly and repeatedly slapping him with his wings. Dazzled, Goth let go of Marina, who quickly flew upwards to safety.

Goth yelled, "Stupid bat, you got in the way again!" And he went back at Shade, who already made a hole through the wall that was large enough for him and Marina to crawl through.

Shade, relieved, called out to Marina, "Come and crawl through here!" They both flew straight at the hole, when Goth reached it first and blocked them.

"Hah! You'll never make it now!" Goth laughed again and grabbed both of them, ready for the millionth time to rip their hearts out.

Shade suddenly became enraged. "GO TO HELL!" He yelled, and released himself from Goth, who loosened his grip upon hearing such a thing. He then repeatedly hit Goth's other wing until Goth let go of Marina, who then crawled through the hole. After that, he remembered all the problems Goth caused in his life: Almost getting killed, almost having his mate killed, having his son killed, having him sacrifice himself after his son was killed, having his mate kill herself after everyone thought he was dead, almost making Zotz rule the whole world. Thinking all those things, he became even angrier. "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! I WISH YOU IN HELL!" Shade yelled so loud he thought the room would shatter into a million sound pieces. Never before has he been that enraged.

Several swear words later Goth was shocked at the fact Shade was swearing and yelling at him, but more at the fact that he was pissed. But still, Goth thought that he was just going to keep swearing, and so he ignored him until…

Shade was still raging at Goth, and decided that he needed to take his anger out another way. He used his teeth and started tearing apart half of Goth's wing, and when done he spat out the foul-tasting blood from his mouth. Goth howled in pain, and Shade quickly went through the hole and escaped.


	5. Resurrection

Chp5

Shade didn't know where he was, but he was happy to have Marina with him again. They seemed to be traveling at sound, and the light wasn't so bright. After a few more seconds they were in another pitch-black room.

"Goth! You idiot!" Shade roared.

"I am not Goth." A voice said. Obviously it wasn't Goth, since this voice was feminine. As well as that, it was different from Marina's, so it couldn't have been hers either. Suddenly a large white light in the shape of a bat appeared.

"I am Nocturna. You two have most likely heard of me before. I'm just here to tell you that unlike the other bats, you two won't be spirits when you exit, but actual bats, made up of flesh and bone. You'll be yourself again."

Shade couldn't believe it, had he heard things right? Was this a dream? Was it actually Nocturna?

"Thank you! But…why?" He asked.

"It is because, Shade, you have greatly helped me, by helping fulfill the promise by getting back the sun to all bats. You have also made peace with the owls, and prevented my twin brother Zotz from ruling all the bats. Of course, you couldn't have done it without your mate, Marina." Shade and Marina blushed at the last part.

"So now…I'll give you life!" Nocturna cheerfully announced, and she started to form a ball out of what appeared to be pure light.

"Wait," Shade blurted, and the ball stopped growing in size.

"Yes?" Nocturna asked.

"How'd you form this sound room, because earlier Goth formed one as well? It's strange…and am I still in The Tree?"

Nocturna sighed, "Zotz must have given Goth the power to craft objects out of sound. And yes, you are still in The Tree. Surprising isn't it?"

The ball of light continued to grow, then split into two smaller ones.

"Swallow. It should fit." Nocturna said.

Shade and Marina fit the balls of light into their mouths, confused. Before they can swallow or ask what was going to happen, the energy started to travel all around their body. It felt like they were struck by lightning, and they fainted.

When they woke up they were in a cloud of mist. Shade, still dazzled, didn't recognize it as the same place he ended up last time he exited from the Underworld.

"Where am I?" Marina asked.

"Where is this place?" Shade said, equally confused.

They went around the area for a while, and hunted. Gaining speed, Shade accidentally crashed into a tree. Luckily he didn't even get bruised. They flew around for a while longer. Suddenly, after eating several tiger moths they realized…

They were alive!

Anxious to go back to Tree Haven again, they flew as fast as they can. When they reached there they saw Griffin with Luna. Griffin was smiling about something, but the smile was forced. As well as that, both their heads were down. Were they still sad?

They suddenly turned their backs to them and flew away, not realizing they were being watched. Shade followed, Marina a few wing beats behind.

"Hi!" Shade said to Griffin, sneaking up on him.

"Hi dad…DAD?" Griffin suddenly heard him, stopped on a branch and turned around, not believing what he was seeing. There were his parents, flying towards him. They were actually alive! "Mom! Dad! I missed you so much…I thought you'd never return!" Griffin exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down his face. The three pulled each other into a tight hug. Cassiel saw this and went all around Tree Haven shouting out the fact that Shade and Marina were alive.

"Hi! I thought you were dead!" Cassiel admitted to Shade and Marina.

"That's what my son thought." Shade smiled.

"Luckily," Cassiel changed the topic, "The migration is tomorrow. I wouldn't have seen you if one more day passed."

"Well I would've known that you were migrating."

"So, how'd you two resurrect?" Cassiel was trying to stay calm, but he became hyper and slapped himself. "Or am I dead?" He added, worried.

"We're all alive." Marina said coolly, Griffin in her wing.

Marina then glanced at Shade. "It's great to have you back." They then leaned toward together and kissed.

"Cute." Cassiel laughed, and they pulled back, blushing.

END

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my story. By the way it's my first...not sure if I should make another one.  
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